In the Morning When I Rise, Give Me Jesus

“Give Me Jesus” is an African American Spiritual that has been covered by countless artists. I was recently listening to Jeremy Camp’s version of the song and I realized that the words seem to resonate with me greatly now that spring has returned. Each morning I awake, it is still dark outside. As I’m drinking my coffee and either reading some words from one of my current devotional books (bouncing back and forth between “Praying for your Husband” and “How Great Thou Art”) or checking in on the world (i.e., Instagram, email and Facebook) I get to watch the sun come up. It rises up over the mountain we can see from our back porch. (Of course, mountain in Birmingham, AL is not like a mountain in Jackson Hole, WY, but it counts as one here!) Back to the point, the sun then illuminates the trees and their budding leaves and flowers . . . they shine in all God’s glory!

What a beautiful gift God gives us every morning to have this experience. Jesus is all around. How awesome that He would give us.